As the countdown to 2024 comes to an end and inevitably the New Year is upon us before we know it, this is normally a time for people to go back to meal planning and thinking about healthy meals - especially after an indulgent festive period.
Therefore, what a better way to help you than to create a simple yet effective meal planning journal page that you can print and use each week.
I think this is going to be super handy, especially with those weeks in January or in general where you want to use up what's in the cupboards and freezer - I've gotten back into cooking recently and using more of a variety of flavours to make meals a bit more interesting while still using what's available to us! My latest favourite meal is marinating salmon in soya sauce, honey, juice of a lime, chilli flakes and garlic and oh my goodness the way that it literally melts!
- Efficient & Time Saving - Meal planning allows for efficiency, you can plan your meals in advance by checking what's in the cupboards and the freezer. You can take away the stress of trying to decide what you're having for dinner that night and it makes grocery shopping a little bit easier.
- Balanced Eating - It will also help with balanced meals, ensuring your plate has a variety of fruits, veg, protein and whole grains and also making meals more fun and enjoyable.
- Cost-Effective - for me, this is the biggest benefit, it really does save money. While I do like to bulk buy sometimes to make sure we have plenty in just in case we change our minds and fancy something different - to avoid getting a takeaway! You can shop to your meal plan and just get those items! I have my food shopping down to a fine art now, I go to the same supermarket and I'm flexible with what I need to get to allow to cut costs a bit.
- Get Creative - You don't have to stick to the same cuisines and recipes. As my salmon recipe above, this came over time knowing I like a bit of heat on the salmon but packed full of flavour as well as it being a bit sticky from the honey!
And if you're struggling to think of some good healthy meal ideas, here's a few to kick you off:
- Cous Cous Salad with Roasted Vegetables
- Grilled Chicken and Veggie Skewers
- Salmon and Avocado Sushi Bowls
- Any kind of Stir Fry
- Mango and Black Bean Quinoa Bowl
Download the Meal Planning Journal Page here
While you could say this isn't related to today's freebie - It's not 🤭 however you are just here doing your best! And at the end of the day, that's the best you can do!
